Sunday, January 10, 2010

Cannabis, the botanical name of a group of annual flowering plants belonging to the Cannabaceae family, comes in two species. These species are Indica or Sativa. Most sativa strains were originally grown strictly to smoke. Indica strains can be smoked or made into hash and kif. When consumed, an Indica plant will produce more of a body high than sativa and they are best for relaxation, stress reduction, body pain relief, and overall calmness. Sativas are better for daytime use and are known to induce more of a cerebral, or mind, high. They, like the Indica strains, can also alleviate pain.
Indica and Sativa strains can be bred together to create a hybrid, allowing a patient to receive the medicinal benefits from each.
Cannabis Indica and Sativa strains produce high amounts of the Tetrahydrocannabinol compound, better known as THC. THC is one of many cannabinoids in a cannabis plant and can promote health in different areas. A cannabinoid is the chemical compound in marijuana. Some of the most common and there effects are as follows:

Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) is the main psychoactive part of the plant. When used for medicinal purposes, it has shown it possesses anti-inflammatory properties. It has also shown to protect the nervous system, which is beneficial for people with epilepsy and other neurological disorders. Cancer and AIDs patients benefit from THC because it increases appetite and suppresses nausea. It has also shown to slow down cancer cell growth. Multiple Sclerosis patients experience alleviation of neuropathic pain and spasticity. It also prevents the formation of the deposits in the brain that are linked to Alzheimer’s Disease.

Cannabidiol (CBD) has been found to reduce the amount of schizophrenia-like symptoms other cannabis strains can produce in patients. If you experience these symptoms from strains with lower CBD content, trying this may improve your experience. This cannabinoid has also shown to relieve convulsion, act as an anti-inflammatory and reduce anxiety and nausea.

Tetrahydrocannabivarin (THV) is found in Indica strains and has shown to help people with Type II Diabetes and other metabolic disorders. This is because it blocks the receptors for THC.

Cannabinol (CBN) is found in plants with low THC. Fresh plants have high levels of THC but THC degrades when exposed to light and air. As the THC decreases, the CBN increases. CBN has shown to help epilepsy patients and also lowers intraocular pressure, making strains high in Cannabinol a good choice for people suffering from glaucoma .

We believe a happy patient is an informed patient. Before choosing which strain is right for you, be sure to talk to our staff about your medical condition and ask them about the options available to you. They can help narrow your choices based on your specific needs. And please check our calendar for information on free seminars regarding Medical Marijuana.

Monday, January 4, 2010

Denver medical marijuana users enjoy the protection both of Colorado's Amendment 20 and a Denver city ordinance stating that the adult possession of less than one ounce of marijuana is Denver's lowest law enforcement priority. Under state law, adult possession of marijuana remains illegal. Therefore, medical marijuana users in Denver should not rely on decriminalization to protect them, and should take the appropriate steps to join Colorado's medical marijuana registry and to obtain an identification card.
Pain Management of Colorado, Inc., operates a Denver marijuana dispensary. Pain Management of Colorado guides new medical marijuana patients through the application process to become a legal medical marijuana user in Denver, step by step, with the goal of making the experience easy and hassle-free. The dispensary's team of medical marijuana doctors assists patients with qualifying conditions in obtaining a medical marijuana recommendation. Following the approval of each patient's application to become a registered medical marijuana patient, a team of professional medical marijuana caregivers can help patients obtain medical-grade marijuana legally and affordably.

Qualifying conditions that make a person eligible to become a Denver medicinal marijuana patient include glaucoma, cancer, severe nausea, HIV/AIDS, cachexia (wasting that results from several diseases), seizures (including those related to epilepsy), severe chronic pain, muscle spasticity and muscle spasms (often associated with multiple sclerosis). In addition, patients who experience the symptoms listed due to treatment for a primary condition not listed may be eligible to use medical marijuana legally in Denver. For example, if your primary condition is fibromyalgia (not listed), but the medication prescribed to you for that primary condition causes severe nausea, you may be able to obtain a medical marijuana recommendation in order to alleviate the severe nausea experienced as a side-effect of treatment. Finally, it is possible to petition the state to make an addition to the list of approved conditions. However, all such petitions submitted since the passage of Amendment 20 have been denied.

Available to registered medical marijuana patients at Pain Management of Colorado's Denver marijuana dispensary are numerous products intended to provide the benefits of medicinal marijuana in the form most palatable and convenient to each patient. While some evidence indicates that medical marijuana is most effective when smoked, some patients prefer to eat or vaporize medical marijuana. Reasons for choosing an alternative to smoking medical marijuana might include lung health, taste, smell, or the need to continue taking medical marijuana while away from home.

Denver marijuana patients are comparatively unlikely to experience prosecution if they adhere to Colorado state law when using medical marijuana. If a medical marijuana patient is charged with a crime in Denver while using medicinal marijuana legally, Amendment 20 provides an affirmative defense against criminal charges. However, patients should be aware that both the existing law and the absence of anti-discrimination laws may expose them to prosecution or discrimination if medical marijuana is used in public, in a way that endangers others, while operating a motor vehicle, or where an employer or landlord can discover medical marijuana use. Denver medical marijuana patients are advised to use medical marijuana primarily in the privacy of their own homes in order to enjoy the greatest possible degree of legal protection.

Monday, December 28, 2009

About 99.9 percent of her business comes from the sale of medical marijuana, but Amber Ostrom, owner of Plants 4 Life, will have to make do selling acupuncture and other services.

The medical-marijuana dispensary in downtown Castle Rock was shut down by the town after officials said selling weed is illegal under federal law.

Town Clerk Sally Misare issued her decision Dec. 19, revising the business and tax license of the store to exclude the sale of medical marijuana.

Ostrom can still offer acupuncture, message therapy and holistic medicine at the store on North Wilcox Street.

But not having a chance to build a clientele for the wellness services since opening in mid-October, Ostrom worries that her $30,000 investment could be lost forever. She acknowledges that almost all of her sales had come from Denver medicinal marijuana.

"You can't just issue things left and right, then just take them away," Ostrom said. "I thought things would go in our favor. It's a clean facility and run like a doctor's office."

He was not sure why the town granted the license to Plants 4 Life in the first place. Another medical-marijuana facility also was granted a license, but that business has since left town.

Colorado voters in 2000 approved an amendment to the state constitution that allowed caregivers to provide medical marijuana to patients who suffered from specific debilitating medical conditions. The recipients are required to obtain a state-issued registry card.

But in July, the state health board considered, but decided against, limiting to five the number of patients a caregiver could provide for. On Oct. 19, the U.S. Department of Justice told prosecutors it would not seek to arrest medical-marijuana users and suppliers as long as they conform to state laws.

Those rules resulted in a flood of business permit requests in municipalities statewide.

Since then, city and county governments have voted to freeze applications for new dispensaries and close down others while they await guidance from the state on how to regulate them.